Cigarette holder



' I a. :smmszas 224 56 cmsmmms momma Filed Aug. 18,, 31 958 PatentedDec. 10, 1940 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

My invention relates to cigarette holders and it has for its principalobject to provide a cigarette holder of such shape and configurationthat, irrespective of the position in which the holder may be placed ona substantially level surface, such, for example, as a table top, themouthpiece of the holder as Well as the cigarette carried thereby willbe maintained in spaced relation to the level surface so as to preventthe cigarette from burning the surface and the mouthpiece fromcontacting dirt and dust which may be on the surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cigarette holder whichmay be easily held between the forefinger and thumb of a user.

5 A primary feature of the invention consists in providing the cigaretteholder with a stem which is offset intermediate its ends and with amember which extends longitudinally of the stem and forms with theoffset portion a finger receiving opening, the stem and member beingrespectively provided with flat surfaces for selectively supporting theholder in such positions that a cigarette carried by the holder as wellas the mouthpiece will be maintained in spaced relation to asubstantially level surface on which the holder may be placed.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing the holder withlaterally projecting portions which are adapted to maintain the ciga- 30rette carried by the holder as well as the mouthpiece in spaced relationto a substantially level surface on which the holder may be placed onits side.

Other and more specific features of the inven- 35 tion, residing inadvantageous forms, combinations and relations of parts, willhereinafter appear and be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the holder in 40 the position in whichit is primarily intended to be held by a user in the act of smoking.

Figure 2 illustrates the position occupied by the holder when supportedon a substantially level surface in one of its upright positions.

5 Figure 3 illustrates the position occupied by the holder when it isplaced on its side on a substantially level surface.

Figure 4 illustrates the position of the holder when it is placed on asubstantially level surface 50 in another of its upright positions.

Figure 5 is an end elevational view of the holder showing the positionit is likely to occupy when accidentally knocked over from the uprightposition shown in dotted lines in the figure.

55 Figure 6 is an end elevational view of the holder showing theposition it is likely to occupy when accidentally knocked over from theupright dotted line position shown in the figure.

Figure 7 illustrates a slightly modified form of the holder.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, lv indicates the stem of theholder which is provided at one end with a mouthpiece 2 and at the otherend with a cigarette receiving portion 3, a draft channel 4 extendingcontinuously through the 10- stem from end to end.

Intermediate its ends, the stem-is provided with an offset portion 5having a substantially flat face 6 forming a supporting base which is soarranged and disposed that, when the holder is placed on a substantiallylevel surface with the face 8 in engagement therewith, as shown inFigure 4, the mouthpiece 2 as Well as a cigarette carried by the holderwill be maintained in spaced relation to the surface.

Extending longitudinally of the stem is a preferablyarcuate-shapedmember 1 which forms with the oifset portion 5 of the steman opening 8 for receiving a finger of a user of the holder. The crosssectional area of member I is materially less than the cross sectionalarea of the stem so that the holder may be conveniently and easily heldwith the base 6 facing upwardly by grasping member 1 between theforefinger, which may be partially inserted within the opening 8, andthe thumb. Although the base 6 on which the holder is primarily intendedto rest, when not in use, faces upwardly when the holder is held in theposition just described, the natural inclination of a user in removingthe holder from his mouth preparatory to putting it down is to rotatethe holder in such manner as to cause the base 6 to face downwardly. Noawkward or unnecessary movement. is, therefore, required. of the user toplace the holder with its base 6 on a supporting object.

As some users, however, may find it more convenient to place the holderon a support in substantially the same relative position it occupieswhen in the mouth, that is with the base 6 facing upwardly, member 7 isprovided with an enlarged relatively flat surface 9 which is so arrangedand disposed that, when the holder is placed on a substantially levelsurface with the face 9 in engagement therewith the mouthpiece as wellas a ciga- 5O rette carried by the holder will be maintained in spacedrelation to thelevel surface. To counteract any tendency of the holderwhen in this position to tip over in a counterclockwise direction, asviewed in Figure 2, the holder may be provided at some suitable pointintermediate the surface 9 and the cigarette receiving portion 3 with aprojecting portion Hi, the outer end of which is adapted to also engagethe level surface engaged by the face 9.

To prevent the mouthpiece as Well as the cigarette carried by the holderfrom contacting the surface on which the holder may rest in the eventthe holder is accidentally knocked over from either the upright positionindicated in Figure 4 or the inverted upright position indicatedin-Figure 2, as Well as to provide means for maintaining the mouthpieceand cigarette in spaced relation to the level surface should the holderbe initially placed thereon on its side, the holder is provided with aplurality of pairs of oppositely extending lateral projections. Two ofthese pairs of projections, respectively designated 1| and 12, areformed integrally with the stem I, while another pair of the projectionsdesignated by the numeral I3 is formed integrally with the arcuatemember I. The projections are so proportioned and are so located withrespect to each other and to the center of mass of the holder that, whenthose on either side of the holder are, as shown in Figure 3, inengagement with a level supporting surface, the mouthpiece as well asthe cigarette carried by the holder will be maintained in spacedrelation to the surface. The projections will function in this mannernot only if the holder is initially placed on its side on the supportingsurface but also if the holder is accidentally knocked over from theinverted upright position shown in dotted lines in Figure 5. Moreover,the arrangement and location of projections II and 12 are such that theywill maintain the holder in the position indicated in full lines inFigure 6, should it be accidentally knocked over from the uprightposition shown in dotted lines in that figure.

To eliminate the necessity of providing the holder with a projection l0which serves, as hereinbefore indicated, to prevent the holder fromrotating in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 2, aboutan axis parallel with the axis of opening 8, the fiat face 9 on themember I may be elongated as indicated at M in Figure 7 in the directionof length of the holder so as to provide a face of such area that therewill be little or no tendency of the holder to tip over.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that I have provided a cigaretteholder of such shape and configuration that, irrespective of theposition which the holder may occupy on a supporting surface, themouthpiece as well as the cigarette carried by the holder will bemaintained in spaced relation to the supporting surface. It will, ofcourse, be appreciated that various modifications and alterations may bemade in detail features of the holder without departing from the scopeof the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A cigarette holder including a stem having an offset portionintermediate its ends and being provided with a mouthpiece at one endand a cigarette receiving portion at the other, a member extendinglongitudinally of the stem providing the holder adjacent said offsetportion with a finger receiving opening, said member having asubstantially flat face, and means projecting from the stem adjacent oneend of the member and constituting with said flat face means adapted tosupport the holder in such position that a cigarette carried thereby andthe mouthpiece will be disposed in spaced relation to a level surfaceengaged by the outer end of said projecting means and said fiat face.

2. A cigarette holder having a stem provided with a mouthpiece portionand a cigarette receiving portion, and a member extending longitudinallyof the stem providing the holder with a finger receiving opening,opposite sides of said stem and member being respectively provided withprojections extending in the direction of the axis of said opening forsupporting said mouthpiece and a cigarette carried by the stem in spacedrelation to a level surface on which the holder may be placed on itsside.

3. A cigarette holder having a stem provided with a mouthpiece and acigarette receiving portion, and amember extending longitudinally of thestem and forming therewith a finger receiving opening, said stem andmember respectively having substantially flat faces adapted toselectively support the holder in upright and inverted upright positionswith the mouthpiece and the cigarette carried by the holder in spacedrelation to a substantially level surface on which the holder is placed,and means projecting laterally from the sides of said stem and memberfor supporting the mouthpiece and cigarette in spaced relation to saidlevel surface should the holder be placed thereon on its side.

4. A cigarette holder having a supporting base, a mouthpiece extendingrearwardly from said base, a cigarette receiving portion extendingforwardly from the base, means adjacent said base providing a fingerreceiving opening, said base being so disposed and arranged as tosupport the holder in an upright position with the mouthpiece and acigarette carried by the holder in spaced relation to a level surface onwhich said base may rest, and a plurality of projections spacedlongitudinally of the holder on each side thereof adjacent said fingerreceiving opening for preventing the cigarette carried by the holder andthe mouthpiece from contacting said level surface should the holder beaccidentally knocked over from said upright position.

JOSEPH BARTOW STUBBS.

